Relationship with a Tai Chi teacher

Why do you do Tai CHi? Why do I do Tai Chi? Some people do Tai Chi because they have seen Kung fu movies, some are looking for a better life, many do it to destress, to teach themselves to become more patient, to develop more body/mind awareness and a great deal for health and therapeutic reasons.

Some people are not prepared to do long standing meditation, a seemingly arduous effort with no immediate gratification. It does have a significant reward on the long run, such as a better natural posture, mental quietness, the type of relaxation which has more to do with stretching and loosening than a spaghetti type of relaxation(song), clear strengthening of the postural and leg muscles.

High push hands skills is a result of regular standing practice. One needs to stand as long as h/she is able to and just 1 minute will be enough for the start. This is the way to really listen into oneself, the body, the breathing, sensation of left and right, the right posture, in fact something with an extremely high reward.

I have practiced several martial arts and they all have high health benefits. As Tai Chi became more and more well-known in the western world as a health exercise I thought that practicing this art for both martial arts and health would be the real supreme ultimate. My encounters with Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo and later my shi gong(Grandfather-teacher) Grandmaster Chenxiaowang was the fulfilment of my dream. Dr. Paul Lam has shown me a way to combine my medical skills with Tai Chi Chuan, another refreshing flavour in my path towards the ultimate balance.

All my teachers have been excellent as both teachers as well as martial artists. But what will be the case when somebody is unable to get hold of a suitable teacher in his/er area? Should this person put up with a seemingly skilled person but very poor people/s skills? Are we all not just vulnerable people with some insecurities, ordinary sinners with all needs for love and reward? If we are made to feel incompetent by a teacher, justified or not, will we develop into incompetent learners?

Push hands skills like reaching out where the "insults" come from(of course we know this), absorb them, redirect and transfer it into obtaining skills sound wonderful in theory. But.....exactly like push hands skills need a solid structure through formwork, mental push hands need a solid structure through constant efforts.

I heard comments like you emulate more to the person you like to be through long-term practice. A teacher who communicates downward does not make it possible unless you are a member of one of the Chen or Yang family. Well....I wanted to be as good as Grandmaster Chenxiaowang or at least like his son YIngjun or my teacher Jan Silberstorff. When I practice I imagine to be one of them and I really try to practice in such a way that I externally resemble one of them.

The Toastmasters'(a group of amateur public speakers) have a golden rule:PIP(Praise, Improvement, Praise). It is of utmost importance to receive praise for the efforts and the path towards better health and Tai Chi Chuan. The journey towards the goal is as important as the goal itself. A good teacher needs the right attitude and communication skills, to balance between praise and improvement.